We’ve got six things to watch out for if you’re planning a trip to Central Florida to check out the Wizarding World… and to stay late to enjoy the evening experience.
Spoilers for the experience follow!
Listen for Familiar Voices
A voice any Potter fan will recognize opens and closes the new show – Dumbledore! Sure, this light show is bad guy-centric, but hearing the voice of Hogwarts’ Headmaster adds a comforting bit of optimism to the proceedings.Villains Galore!
Who will you see virtual-roaming outside of Hogwarts Castle? Everyone from Mountain Trolls to Dementors, Aragog and a swarm of giant spiders, Thestrals and Devil’s Snare make an appearance, as does Lord Voldemort himself. Each dark entity gets its moment to shine as the show unfolds in sequences.Hogwarts Gets Wrecked!
Spoilers! Relax, it’s a light show, not a movie. But yes, much of Hogwarts comes crashing down during the production in a sequence that really shows just how impressive the cutting-edge projection mapping technology is. The depth and texture of the Dark Arts show is a great indicator of the potential for these types of shows and what type of fun offerings can be created for theme park audiences.Watch our countdown of the 25 best Harry Potter characters ever...
Watch Out for Death Eaters
For the first time, Voldemort’s disciples are now running wild at Hogsmeade at night. Appearing amid green strobe lights and heavy fog, during my visit they swarmed visitors and took particular joy in creeping my nine-year-old daughter out. Kudos to the performers in the costumes who were impressively spooky and not above posing for the occasional selfie.The Patronus Charm!
The show ends on a well-choreographed high note. William Ross’ new musical arrangement, recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, shifts gears for the emotional finish. The castle is bathed in various shades of blue, at which point aerial drones with LED lights form a Patronus spell to fight back the evil forces – again, if the weather cooperates. The drone section is great, but it’s icing on the cake. The reconstruction and transformation of the castle at the end is truly spectacular.Best Viewing Spot
There is no bad spot to view the nighttime light shows at Hogwarts Castle at the Wizarding World in Orlando. The park designers have made sure the sightlines are good. But the best vantage point to see any of the castle’s light shows is from the bridge to the side of the castle. It’s usually much less crowded and with this show in particular, you’ll get sweet views of the Inferi, the invading corpses and Acromantulas!Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle is running select nights now through November 15th at Universal Orlando.
Watch the cast of Fantastic Beasts respond to IGN comments in the video below!